Henrik

Österblom

PhD

Professor & science director

henrik.osterblom@su.se

+46 8 674 76 64

@henrikosterblom

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Staff profile

Henrik Österblom's research focuses on ocean stewardship, global cooperation and marine ecosystems. He is also science director at the Stockholm Resilience Centre

Profile summary

  • Marine governance
  • Transnational seafood
  • Corporations
  • Cross-scale interactions
  • Anthropocene
  • Fisheries
  • Seabirds
  • Baltic Sea

Österblom has a PhD in Marine Ecology from the Department of Systems Ecology at Stockholm University, and a Master’s Degree in Behavioural Ecology from the Department of Zoology at Uppsala University.

He is interested in ocean ecosystems and ways to improve stewardship of marine resources. Starting as a seabird ecologist, with a particular interest in social interactions between alcids, he has worked on understanding how the Baltic Sea is managed, how international collaboration emerged to address non-compliance in Southern Ocean fisheries, and how transnational corporations shape the present and future ocean. Ongoing work is focusing on the speed and role of science in society, global cooperation and altruism, and understanding cascading industry effects from novel sustainability approaches. He has worked at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, and as Special Advisor to the Swedish Government in the Secretariat for the Environmental Advisory Council.

Österblom is leading the Keystone Dialogues, a global co-production project including major private actors in global seafood, which has resulted in the establishment of the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) initiative, aimed to transform global seafood towards more sustainable practices. He is principal investigator in Nereus – Predicting the Future Oceans Program, and member of the IMBER Human Dimension Working Group, the Future Earth Knowledge Action Network and the Seas of Norden Network.

Österblom serves on the international advisory board of the South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies (SARAS²), as board member of Race for the Baltic, and represents Stockholm University in the United Nations Global Compact Action Platform for Sustainable Ocean Business. He is a member in the Expert Group for the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy.

Österblom represents the Stockholm Resilience Centre in the Section for Earth and Environmental Sciences at Stockholm University and is subject editor for Ecology and Society and PLOS One.

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Publications by Österblom, Henrik

Transnational corporations and the challenge of biosphere stewardship

Folke, C., H. Österblom, J.-B. Jouffray, E. Lambin, M. Scheffer, B.I. Crona, M. Nyström, et.al.

2019 - Journal / article

Sustainability within planetary boundaries requires concerted action by individuals, governments, civil society and private actors. For the private sector, there is concern that the power exercised by transnational corporations generates, and is even central to, global environmental change. Here, we ask under which conditions transnational corporations could either hinder or promote a global shift towards sustainability. We sh...

The world is yours

Österblom, H.

2019 - Journal / article

“Let me know when you publish in The Lancet!” This is my father's standard reply when I produce scientific publications. His paper in said journal from 19831 is from a time when gender differences received limited attention in science. In 2018, however, things are different. When two white men published a list of 100 important articles for ecologists,2 I thought “what a nice summary”. 14 female scientists and two male scientis...

Scientists Should Disclose Origin in Marine Gene Patents

Blasiak, R., Jouffray, J-B., Wabnitz, C.C.C., Österblom, H.

2019 - Journal / article

Global patterns of fisheries conflict: Forty years of data

Spijkers, J., Singh, G., Blasiak, R., Morrison, T.H., Le Billon, Österblom, H.

2019 - Journal / article

International fisheries conflict can cause crises by threatening maritime security, ecosystems and livelihoods. In a highly connected world, the possibility for localized fisheries conflict to escalate into ‘systemic risks’, where risk in one domain such as food supply can increase risk in another domain such as maritime security and international relations, is growing. However, countries often choose hard-line actions rather ...

See all publications with Österblom, Henrik

Österblom, Henrik

Stockholm Resilience Centre is a collaboration between Stockholm University and the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Stockholm Resilience Centre
Stockholm University, Kräftriket 2B
SE-10691
Phone: +46 8 674 70 70
info@stockholmresilience.su.se

Organisation number: 202100-3062
VAT No: SE202100306201